'Bedelia' is directed confidently by Lance Comfort whose unsubtle and brisk style of direction kept him busy on the B-movie circuit and inevitably into TV work during the 1950s.
Interestingly; the story was written by Vera Caspary who specialized in stories about women getting into trouble, including 'Laura', later made famous, of course, by Hitchcock.
Not every film made in the 1940s was a 'Noir'. I see this term being used to describe films that were made in black and white rather than what they actually are... and Bedelia is NOT in my view in any shape or form a 'noir' as I understand one to be. There are certainly no hard-boiled cynical characters, bleak sleazy settings or overly-emphasized shadowy lit scenes here.
Bedelia is a well-crafted suspense movie with memorable characters and performances. Margaret Lockwood is a treat to watch as her pathological insanity slowly reveals itself. The plot is simple yet captivating and (despite everything being laid out rather too obviously) the uptempo direction works well to keep the spectator focused.
Thankfully the drama comes across naturally and doesn't descend into melodrama... which is just as well as there is no comic relief at all in this yarn. Ian Hunter is especially convincing as the poor husband who has the job of dealing with all the women in his life.
There's a good copy of this on YouTube so what are you waiting for? Get that mug of Horlicks, draw the curtains kick off your shoes!
Interestingly; the story was written by Vera Caspary who specialized in stories about women getting into trouble, including 'Laura', later made famous, of course, by Hitchcock.
Not every film made in the 1940s was a 'Noir'. I see this term being used to describe films that were made in black and white rather than what they actually are... and Bedelia is NOT in my view in any shape or form a 'noir' as I understand one to be. There are certainly no hard-boiled cynical characters, bleak sleazy settings or overly-emphasized shadowy lit scenes here.
Bedelia is a well-crafted suspense movie with memorable characters and performances. Margaret Lockwood is a treat to watch as her pathological insanity slowly reveals itself. The plot is simple yet captivating and (despite everything being laid out rather too obviously) the uptempo direction works well to keep the spectator focused.
Thankfully the drama comes across naturally and doesn't descend into melodrama... which is just as well as there is no comic relief at all in this yarn. Ian Hunter is especially convincing as the poor husband who has the job of dealing with all the women in his life.
There's a good copy of this on YouTube so what are you waiting for? Get that mug of Horlicks, draw the curtains kick off your shoes!